7 Month Old Kitten Doesnt Wanna Play Anymore?

[mydoggie]

When I first got him at 3 months old he was incredibly curious playful and full of energy, everything he came in contact with he would play with as a toy. Starting roughly within a month ago he has become almost completely uninterested in playing. I bought SO many toys its unbelievable and a cat tree and now a days he will play a little bit but stops within a few minutes, he usually just stares at me and doesn't move. We do cuddle a good amount and he sleeps in my bed. He also eats/drinks and uses his litter box and its all normal.

Currently he is not fixed but I am getting it done soon. Most of the time he just sits at the one window that has fresh air coming through/sleeps/eats and doesn't do much else. Sometimes he meows at the door or walks around meowing randomly but stops after 30 seconds to a minute (I am thinking its because he wants to go outside because hes nearly fully sexually matured) Other than that hes pretty quiet. He's also a bit skittish and likes to hide a lot and runs from me sometimes. I try to play with him but I feel like i am failing him somehow and almost feel like i dont deserve to take care of him. I was under the impression cats stay active and playful well past a year old but he seems so uninterested at 7 months already. Maybe his mind is focused on seeking a female or something and getting him neutered will make him more playful? Maybe he was weened too early? I am worried if I let this continue behavioral problems will develop. There are days we don't do any playtime.

 

[Letta]

Hi,
first calm down it's very clear that you care about him and of course you deserve to take care of him. It's good that he is an apointement to be fixed. On the playing thing: first cats don't all mature at the same speed and some cat play less faster than others. Secondly the same thing happenned to me around 7 to 8 month old, now my Luna is a year old (and 3 days wow ^^) and she plays a LOT. However what changed was the way we are playing: when she was smaller it was so easy i would just throw anything and she would run after, now she wants more complicated games and games that ressemble more hunting. Do you have cat teases: Da-Bird, cat cacher ect... Those are very good to play with older kittens: try to immitate a prey and don't worry what that means is fuzzy to everyone: just try to make a small mouse disappear behind, freeze when in eye sight of bad kittty and then run away fast ect... Try and experiment, keep on trying and some days your cat will want to play one way and another day another way. Learn what she likes. You can also buy new endings to the polls to keep it new: here a few that Luna loves (but she prefers ground prey to bird poles so that might be different for your cat)

Outside of that your kitty is in the age where she might like food puzzle: start by an egg box that you empty, and then put treats inside. And then with time you can add to the complexity of the puzzle. If you feed her a bit of dry food instead of giving it to her: put it in food puzzles or slide it on the floor so she has to run away after it. That will keep her busy.

You can also buy this (it's expansive but my cat loves it): and play at hiding things inside and dragging things out using the cat pole:
You can also put her videos for cat that you find on youtube: it will keep her occupied and it's fun to see her getting excited about the bird or mouse on the screen.

And if she does not want to play but you want to interract in another way that cuddling: you can also explore with her: make her smell new things (as long as it's safe for her), open cabinets that you never open (as long as it's safe) ect.. You bring back pieces of wood, sand, the cork of the wine ect.. And you can leash train your cat which is a good way to explore safely the outside.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'll be very interested to see how his behavior changes after neutering. Let's face it, if his bitty hormones are kicking his tiny tail, he's going to be focused on those enticing scents coming from the windows and doors...there are GIRL KITTIES out there, and SOME OF THEM are willing! It's a rare male who wants to hang out and play with Mom or Dad when there are females calling his name!

 

[mydoggie]

I'll be very interested to see how his behavior changes after neutering. Let's face it, if his bitty hormones are kicking his tiny tail, he's going to be focused on those enticing scents coming from the windows and doors...there are GIRL KITTIES out there, and SOME OF THEM are willing! It's a rare male who wants to hang out and play with Mom or Dad when there are females calling his name!

My thoughts exactly! I think he is ignoring me and just wants to meet some female cats, and I know for a fact there are strays/ferals that come around my yard.

 

[mydoggie]

Hi,
first calm down it's very clear that you care about him and of course you deserve to take care of him. It's good that he is an apointement to be fixed. On the playing thing: first cats don't all mature at the same speed and some cat play less faster than others. Secondly the same thing happenned to me around 7 to 8 month old, now my Luna is a year old (and 3 days wow ^^) and she plays a LOT. However what changed was the way we are playing: when she was smaller it was so easy i would just throw anything and she would run after, now she wants more complicated games and games that ressemble more hunting. Do you have cat teases: Da-Bird, cat cacher ect... Those are very good to play with older kittens: try to immitate a prey and don't worry what that means is fuzzy to everyone: just try to make a small mouse disappear behind, freeze when in eye sight of bad kittty and then run away fast ect... Try and experiment, keep on trying and some days your cat will want to play one way and another day another way. Learn what she likes. You can also buy new endings to the polls to keep it new: here a few that Luna loves (but she prefers ground prey to bird poles so that might be different for your cat)

Outside of that your kitty is in the age where she might like food puzzle: start by an egg box that you empty, and then put treats inside. And then with time you can add to the complexity of the puzzle. If you feed her a bit of dry food instead of giving it to her: put it in food puzzles or slide it on the floor so she has to run away after it. That will keep her busy.

You can also buy this (it's expansive but my cat loves it): and play at hiding things inside and dragging things out using the cat pole:
You can also put her videos for cat that you find on youtube: it will keep her occupied and it's fun to see her getting excited about the bird or mouse on the screen.

And if she does not want to play but you want to interract in another way that cuddling: you can also explore with her: make her smell new things (as long as it's safe for her), open cabinets that you never open (as long as it's safe) ect.. You bring back pieces of wood, sand, the cork of the wine ect.. And you can leash train your cat which is a good way to explore safely the outside.

I do have dabird and a laser pointer which he loved chasing. It worked for weeks and he would tire out very quickly and usually sleep. He may have gotten bored of them? Sometimes the laser pointer works but he loses interest pretty quickly. Maybe I will look to buy some puzzle toys online.

 

[Minxrat]

My Poppy is 9 months old and lost play interest around 5 months. She sat and stared a lot, but it took a lot of encouragement to get her to play. It really upset me. What did I do? Got her a kitten. (She's an indoor cat so going out wasn't an option).

She still doesn't play with actual toys a lot, but loves to play with Milo so we're all happy. And when Milo gets to the point where he doesn't play then I'll just put the toys away for a while and then bring them out again, at which point they will hopefully think they're new toys and start all over again!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

My thoughts exactly! I think he is ignoring me and just wants to meet some female cats, and I know for a fact there are strays/ferals that come around my yard.

That'll do it! Get that little rascal neutered ASAP. He'll be happier, more settled, more interested in YOU, and he will be protected from some cancers that are hormone driven.